Memories
by Sherlocked Gallifreyan
Summary: Frigga looks back on everything that's happened. Mushy, angsty.


A/N. I own no one. Comments and criticism welcome.

Frigga stared down at Asgard from her balcony. Her mind wandered over the past.

_ She sees Odin, bringing Loki home for the first time. Her heart swells with pity. She gently takes the little orphan, promising, "I'll always love you."_

_ She sees Thor, two years old, looking at his baby brother. "Mama?" he asks. "When will Loki be big enough to play with?" Smiling, she ruffles his hair. "Soon, Thor, soon," she reassures him. "I'm always gonna protect him," Thor promises._

_ She sees Thor and Loki running around in their pajamas, toy swords in hand. They're laughing and teasing each other. Even now, it's obvious that Loki is the little genius. His mind and tongue are far faster than his sword. For every gentle physical blow Thor lands, Loki comes back with quirky responses. And every time this happens, Loki is able to tap Thor with his little sword. _

_ She sees Loki tossing and turning restlessly. He wakes up with a quiet cry, thin chest heaving. _

_ She sees Thor, poking Loki's shoulder and begging, "Pleeeaase? Loookiii! I need help with my homework." Loki rolls his eyes and smiles. Thor annoys him, but the love between the brothers is obvious. "Fine, Thor," Loki sighs. "What do you need?"_

_ She sees Loki reading to Thor when Thor broke his leg falling out of a tree. Loki makes fun of Thor for being a clumsy oaf. Thor agrees. She sees Thor taking care of a sick, feverish Loki. Thor is always there for Loki. _

_ She sees her boys grown into young men. Loki becomes the intellect she always knew he'd become. Thor becomes the warrior and hunter of his childhood dreams. But the brothers are just as close. Loki reads to Thor as Thor sharpens his hunting knife. Thor patiently tries to teach Loki to wield a sword._

_ She sees Thor grow into his position as future king of Asgard. Loki never aspires for the throne. He hates the idea of being the center of attention. Thor thrives on it. _

_ She sees the pride in Loki's eyes as Thor stands before his father, swearing to protect Asgard with his life. Loki reaches up to wipe away a tear, cleverly disguising it by tucking his hair back behind his ear. _

_ She sees Thor's anguish when the Frost Giants attack. _

_ She sees Loki crumble when he learns what he is. Everything he believes to be true has suddenly become a lie, and he's so confused. His confusion manifests itself as anger. _

_ She sees Thor's transformation when he returns from Midgard. Thor tries to reach his brother but to no avail. _

Hindsight was a blessing and a curse, she realized. All these years later, Frigga saw where she and Odin had gone wrong with Loki. They should have told him the truth. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the memories continued to play.

_ She sees the sheer pain in Thor when Loki breaks. Thor is devastated by what he believes to be his brother's death. He mourns for so long, and Frigga knows that Thor will never stop mourning. _

_ She sees the change in Loki when he threatens Earth. He's insane. The confusion he felt has become a cold, hard resolve. He wants to come back, but he knows he can never go back. He's done too much. _

_ She sees Thor's joy when he learns that Loki is still alive. This joy rapidly fades to pain and anger when he sees the change in Loki. Thor cannot find his brother in the mess of tension and pain. _

_ She sees Loki's silent joy to be home again. No one else sees it. But Loki is happy to be home, where he belongs. He may be a prisoner, but at least he has his family._

_ She sees Loki tossing and turning restlessly in his sleep again. He jumps to his feet, eyes wide, hands shaking. He collapses back on the bed, sobbing. She doesn't know what happened, but he has broken even more. _

_ She sees Thor sitting next to Loki, holding his brother as he cries. "I meant it when I said I'd always do my best to protect you," Thor says. Loki smiles weakly in response. "Now sleep, brother. You're safe. You'll always be safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you."_

_ She sees Thor happy in his place as the older brother again. He doesn't care what race Loki really is. Loki may have changed, but in Thor's eyes, he will always be that little orphan that Thor swore to protect. Loki will always be Thor's brother._

_ She sees the bond between the brothers strengthen again. It breaks her heart to know that Loki can never trust anyone else again. Thor never says anything, never judges his brother. In his mind, nothing has changed. He is Loki's guardian. Just as he always will be._


End file.
